Don't let it get away!

We growth grabbers at Motley Fool Rule Breakers aren't the only ones who believe that growth is on sale. So do the venture capitalists at Sequoia Capital and Battery Ventures. Last week, each firm unveiled new funds with a diversified mission: Invest in growers of all sizes, private and public.

This strategy isn't novel. Private equity players such as BlackRock (NYSE: BLK) and The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) have been swimming in both ends of the investing pool for years.

It also makes sense. VCs have more competition than ever before -- corporations, for example. Disney (NYSE: DIS) with Steamboat Ventures, Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) with Intel Capital, and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) with its new venture investing arm are among those seeking to invest in the Next Big Thing. Banks, too, are old hands at start-up financing; Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) was an early investor in Akamai peer Limelight Networks. Why shouldn't VCs turn the tables?

Sequoia, for its part, explained to VentureBeat that it is hiring staff with public investing expertise. The thinking? Keeping tabs on public disruptors lends greater understanding of where fundable start-ups might fill gaps or create upheaval.

Makes sense to me. But whatever the reason, the timing likely couldn't be better. Fast-growing franchises such as Suntech Power (NYSE: STP) have rarely been cheaper. Meanwhile, the IPO market has run drier than a riverbed in August. Limited partners don't want to hear that; they want returns, and the only way to get them is via the sort of liquidity that only the public markets can offer.

There are dozens of ways to beat the market as an investor. One of the best is to follow the movements of the greats -- greats like Sequoia and Battery. They're betting on growth, so why aren't you?

Fool contributor Tim Beyers had positions in Akamai's and Google's shares and Google's 2010 LEAP options at the time of publication. He also hunts for the best of tech as a contributor toMotley Fool Rule Breakers, which counts Akamai, Google, and Suntech among its holdings. Here's how to try this market-beating service free for 30 days. Get access to all of Tim's Foolish writings here.

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Tim Beyers first began writing for the Fool in 2003. Today, he's an analyst for Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova. At Fool.com, he covers disruptive ideas in technology and entertainment, though you'll most often find him writing and talking about the business of comics. Find him online at timbeyers.me or send email to tbeyers@fool.com. For more insights, follow Tim on Google+ and Twitter.